Partnerships Contracts Specialist

UNOPS supports partners to build a better future by providing services that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of peace building, humanitarian and development projects.  Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organizations.

New York Service Cluster (NYSC) supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management

Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations. It was formed by combining the following portfolios: Grants Management Services (GMS), UN Technology Support Services (UNTSS), Development and Special Initiatives Portfolio (DSIP) It provides Services to partners' programmes that are designed, structured, and managed with a global perspective and primarily serving partners that are headquartered in New York. The SDC has a footprint of approximately 125 countries.

UNOPS has signed an agreement with the United Nations to implement the project activities for UN Global Pulse.  

UN Global Pulse

UN Global Pulse (UNGP) is an initiative of the Executive Office of Secretary-General (EOSG) founded in 2009. We work in support of the Secretary-General’s priorities, in advancement of the UN Charter. UNGP serves as a cross-pillar lead and hub for experimentation and Innovation. We have a globally distributed team in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. The teams work with digital innovation, strategic foresight, real-time data and artificial intelligence to further sustainable development, humanitarian and peace outcomes. Our vision is ‘A world in which responsible and inclusive digital innovation serves to empower people and protect the planet’. Our mission is to work at the intersection of digital innovation and science to inform, inspire and support the entire UN and those it serves, to anticipate and respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The goals of the UNGP Network are: i) to generate knowledge, capabilities and approaches that support the transformation of the United Nations into a more agile and resilient ‘next-generation’ institution; ii) to create and accelerate the development of globally accessible approaches that help communities and partners anticipate and address emerging global challenges; and iii) to advocate for the global transformation of policies, practices and culture required to maximize the impact of digital innovation, minimize its risk of harm, and ensure pathways to scale and sustainability. 

The incumbent of this position will be personnel of UNOPS under its full responsibility

UNGP is being positioned as the Secretary General’s Innovation Lab, and is mandated to advance UN agendas under 3 objectives:

(1) Advance digital innovations for SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and crisis response.

(2) Facilitate development of global frameworks for digital innovation to minimize risks. 

(3) Support the transformation of the UN into a ‘next-generation’ institution.

UNGP has launched a new strategy and complementary partnerships approach to achieve the above and to meet our objectives we require an ecosystem of partners. Our new partnership approach  aims to push the boundaries and way the UN does partnerships. In particular, we aim to foster an ecosystem enabling partnerships for innovation.

We are looking for a Partnership Contracts Specialist with legal background to support the efficient and effective execution of partnerships in the form of projects, programmes, strategic engagements and other. The position will support operationalizing partnerships across all network programmes, projects and capabilities across our four offices (New York, Jakarta, Kampala, Helsinki). 

The Partnership Contracts Specialist will provide advice on different forms of legal partnership agreements including amongst others, 1:1 partnerships, multi stakeholder partnerships, pro bono partnerships, partnerships between UN agencies, and partnerships with a diverse set of non UN actors including with the public, private and civil society sector.

The Partnership Contracts Specialist will report to the Partnerships Specialist. They will be the primary contact point between UNGP and its legal counterparts both within the UN system and with external partners. Amongst others, they will liaise when needed with the Office of Legal Affairs of the UN Secretariat (OLA), UNOPS, UNDP, the UN Office of Partnerships, and the UN Foundation. The Partnership Contracts Specialist will be encouraged to discover new methods and ways to work effectively within and beyond these structures. They should be highly flexible, adaptable to change and able to work in a fast paced environment with a high level of uncertainty.

The position supports the work of UN Global Pulse under the supervision of the Partnerships Specialist and will be responsible for the following: 

Contract support:

• Provide advice across the UNGP network on the execution of partnership, including by assisting in the negotiation of partnerships with external partners and developing partnership agreements, with support from relevant legal teams at UNOPS and other UN entities when needed. 

• Support the accountability of partnerships, including through early risk assessment and formal due diligence processes. Keep track of the execution of partnership agreements through monitoring, evaluation and learning. 

• Liaise with different legal teams across the UN, including UNOPS and OLA on the UNGP pipeline of partnerships agreement, identify bottlenecks and suggest ways to address them as needed. 

• Manage as needed internal pipeline discussions on legal partnerships agreements, including presenting priorities to leadership.

Knowledge management:

• Keep record of all partnership agreements at network level, follow up with teams as needed. 

• Keep record of partnership legal pipeline and changing priorities across different offices. 

Partnership brokering: 

In collaboration with the other team members, provide broader partnership brokering services to the network including but not limited to: 

• Support the network with new and existing partners and partnerships throughout the partnership cycle; from Scoping & Building → Managing & maintaining → Reviewing & revising → Sustaining outcomes of partnerships. 

• Build active collaboration between UNGP members, its partners and other stakeholders, including donors. Represent UNGP as needed in applicable forums and support other colleagues in the network to represent UNGP effectively.

• Encourage and be a role model for good partnering behaviour in the network that will help the partnership to function effectively and creatively, while protecting the vision and core principles of value based, innovative partnerships.

Education: 

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law is required.

• A first-level university degree in law (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination with two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience / Language:

Required:

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in legal affairs, with a particular focus on partnership agreements.

• Experience in drafting or negotiating legal agreements within the UN system or other international organisations. 

Desirable:

• Specialist partnerships accreditation or training is an advantage.

• Experience in supporting the execution of innovation partnerships in international contexts.

• Knowledge of data protection policies at the UN and familiarity with the legislation in the US, EU and international good practice.

• A good understanding of the legal challenges related to data sharing, open sourcing, and AI governance space.

Language:

• Fluency in English (read, write, speak) is required. 

• Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an asset

Contract type: Individual Contractor Agreement (ICA) 
Contract level: International Individual Contractor Agreement (I-ICA 2- ICSC10)
Contract duration: Open-ended (renewable subject to funds availability and satisfactory performance)

• * FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY
• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time.
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• UNOPS embraces diversity and it is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race, colour, national origin, ethnic or social background, genetic information, gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, or disability.
  
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda.
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian, and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management, and human resources.


Working with us

We are proud of our people. With a wealth of knowledge and skills in various disciplines – engineering, finance, human resources, ICT, leadership, project management, procurement, and more – they help tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time. Their work around the world supports progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).


At UNOPS, we offer a range of short- and long-term opportunities in various environments and duty stations – from Denmark and Kenya to Mexico, Switzerland, Myanmar, Senegal, Uganda, and many more.


Diversity

With over 5,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,400 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners, spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced and diverse labor force — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs. We continually strive to maintain our gender-balanced workplace. We encourage qualified underrepresented groups as per UNOPS Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy to apply for our vacancies.



Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.

Background Information - Sustainable Development Cluster 

Based in New York, the Sustainable Development Cluster (SDC) supports diverse partners with their peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations.

The SDC’s services include grants management, development and special initiatives support, and technology support to the UN and UN agencies.

The SDC is part of the New York Service Cluster that supports the United Nations Secretariat, as well as a broadening community of other New York-based United Nations organizations, bilateral and multilateral partners in the delivery of UNOPS mandate in project management, infrastructure management, and procurement management.